Four ways to care for your mental health

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According to experts and Time magazine, 2024 is the ideal time to take time for yourself and make mental health your priority. Taking time for yourself can be the difference in succeeding in your plans. There are many alternatives to get started, so here are four ways to care for your mental health.

Leave work where it belongs

It’s time to free your mind in your free hours and forget about fantasy fights with your boss, think about things you should have done, and more. Not only is it not productive, but when ruminating on work thoughts, our chest compresses and creates a visceral response to stress.

Instead of psyching yourself up to repeat these scenarios in your head, we invite you to think decisively, and instead of saying things like I have a lot of work, or I’m never going to finish, reprogram your mind to find a solution and think decisively and act proactively with actions such as taking time in your schedule to deal with what bothers you and address your problems without letting them overwhelm you.

Tip: Carrying a manual planner can do wonders for coordinating visual and kinesthetic communication to jot down an appointment or ideas.

Take a small action to reduce the anxiety caused by environmental damage

Although sometimes it seems the opposite according to different statistics, one of the concerns globally shared about the things that generate anxiety is the damage to the planet. It is the time to commit to taking a small step to improve your relationship with the environment. Forget about single-use plastics. Load a glass or aluminum bottle, or pay extra fees for home delivery systems that allow you to support global programs for the planet. There are many options that, by adding small commitments multiplied by millions, will bring us closer to avoiding the disappearance of our species.

Evaluate your relationship with social networks

The amount of time we spend on different social networks is extraordinary, which is why psychologists specializing in their impact on psychological and emotional development urge you to evaluate your relationship with social networks and ask yourself questions such as: Would it be beneficial for me to reduce my time on social networks? Are there profiles or people I should stop following? According to therapist and author Nedra Glover Tawwab, the ideal would be to eliminate from your smartphone the applications in which you consume the most leisure time or, at least, limit your exposure to them to no more than 15 minutes per day.

Write a thank you letter

The feeling of gratitude is related to many emotional, spiritual, and mental benefits as long as it is genuine and flows naturally.

A great exercise to do at least once a year is to send a message or letter of gratitude to someone who has carried out some action for your benefit, and even without them knowing, it was impressive to you. It is paramount to remind them of the context of the situation and be authentic in your words.

We hope you find these tips helpful; remember to seek help when needed. Remember that it is essential to be gentle with yourself and take time for yourself.